Forum Post: Think about it, really, think about it...
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 22, 2011, 11:30 p.m. EST by s4ve4meric4
(0)
from Green River, UT
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on a socialist plan". All grades will be averaged and... everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A.... (substituting grades for dollars - something closer to home and more readily understood by all). After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. The second test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. It could not be any simpler than that. These 5 sentences are all applicable to this experiment: 1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. 2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. 3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. 4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it! 5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.
Two things: First, your reasoning is flawed. When the grades for the second test came back a D, I guarantee a fair number of those college students, not wanting to fail the class, would've studied a whole lot harder for the next test. This hypothetical scenario grossly oversimplifies how the real world works and is therefore bullshit. Second, OWS is not advocating socialism (or any other -ism for that matter). If you believe that, you haven't been paying attention or you haven't been here long enough to get the true picture.
No, the OWS is not advocating socialism. But, unfortunately, he's right. For socialism to work, you must be willing to kill those who won't do their fair share. Go to youtube and put drunk bee to see what bees do to workers who don't do their fair share. Anyways:
I want you to go to this post. I want you to speak truth to power!. Say it once, say it twice. Say it loud. Say it proud. I'm down with the KTC. The Revolution starts here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGaRtqrlGy8&feature=related
http://occupywallst.org/forum/make-a-stand-join-the-clan/
The Revolution starts here! No one can silence the Revolution!
That's a great analogy; but if we need a label, it sounds more like communism to me. Couldn't a government of the people, for the people, and (supposedly) by the people be defined as a "socialist" government? Isn't a capitalist society essentially socialist in nature. Doesn't the economy of that capitalist society depend on a happy, healthy, and productive society?
It's not that anyone should get a free ride; but should we step over the less fortunate as they starve on the street? Our health care costs have, for some time now been subsidizing the indigent. But do we also need to subsidize corporate bonuses? Do we need to subsidize drug company lobbyists? And of course we surely don't need to keep subsidizing our poorly paid, highly over-worked politicians; (they have many rich friends for that).
WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP FIXATING ON THE LABEL "SOCIALISM"? Labels narrow everyone's focus and create points (and counterpoints). narrowing our view, eliminating our ability to see the big picture solutions, and give spin doctors and talking heads subjects to fixate on, thereby narrowing our views through overt and covert manipulation of emotions. Stop the labeling, and lose the "buzz-words". Get over the propaganda. Think for yourself. SUGGEST SOME SOLUTIONS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE!
WHAT IF THEY HELD AN ELECTION AND NOBODY CAME? WOULDN'T THAT BE A GREAT DAY TO CALL FOR A NATIONWIDE PROTEST FOR "HOPE AND CHANGE"? What if they legalized pot and used the TAXABLE INCOME to supplement education, (thereby reducing prison populations)? What if it cost significantly less to buy a printer cartridge, instead of making it cheaper to just buy a new cheap printer with both cartridges, and toss the old one in the landfill? Just thought I'd throw I'd throw out a few socialist ideas.
Amen. But, per usual, this scenario will be blasted for reasons-excuses ad nauseam...
An ECONOMICS class where all the students agree that socialism works? Show me one. It doesn't exist.
Somehow, all of these students somehow found a way to AGREE on the topic of socialism, and yet none of them can agree that they should all study a little bit harder to make everyone's grades better? Or that they should all at least cheat a little bit better? The students in that class are not very intelligent.
The economics professor has never failed a SINGLE student? He must not be a very good teacher....
Also, do you really think that ECONOMICS students are going to accept a letter grade of F? Wouldn't they just find a way out of this predicament? Claim that since this is a class, that affects their GPA and their job prospects, their actual grade should reflect their actual achievments.
In conclusion, this story is BULLSHIT.
I've read this before. It's garbage. Not even a true story. Just another dumb-ass lame attempt to label those of us who want some degree of economic justice as 'socialists'. Its garbage. Nothing but ineffective psychological crap. You want reality? Check this out:
The ugly truth. America's wealth is STILL being concentrated. When the rich get too rich, the poor get poorer. These latest figures prove it. AGAIN.
According to the Social Security Administration, 50 percent of U.S. workers made less than $26,364 in 2010. In addition, those making less than $200,000, or 99 percent of Americans, saw their earnings fall by $4.5 billion collectively. The sobering numbers were a far cry from what was going on for the richest one percent of Americans.
The incomes of the top one percent of the wage scale in the U.S. rose in 2010; and their collective wage earnings jumped by $120 billion. In addition, those earning at least $1 million a year in wages, which is roughly 93,000 Americans, reported payroll income jumped 22 percent from 2009. Overall, the economy has shed 5.2 million jobs since the start of the Great Recession in 2007. It’s the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression in the 1930’s.
Another word about the first Great Depression. It really was a perfect storm. Caused almost entirely by greed. First, there was unprecedented economic growth. There was a massive building spree. There was a growing sense of optimism and materialism. There was a growing obsession for celebrities. The American people became spoiled, foolish, naive, brainwashed, and love-sick. They were bombarded with ads for one product or service after another. Encouraged to spend all of their money as if it were going out of style. Obscene profits were hoarded at the top. In 1928, the rich were already way ahead. Still, they were given huge tax breaks. All of this represented a MASSIVE transfer of wealth from poor to rich. Executives, entrepreneurs, developers, celebrities, and share holders. By 1929, America's wealthiest 1 percent had accumulated 44 percent of all United States wealth. The upper, middle, and lower classes were left to share the rest. When the lower majority finally ran low on money to spend, profits declined and the stock market crashed.
Of course, the rich threw a fit and started cutting jobs. They would stop at nothing to maintain their disgusting profit margins and ill-gotten obscene levels of wealth as long as possible. The small business owners did what they felt necessary to survive. They cut more jobs. The losses were felt primarily by the little guy. This created a domino effect. The middle class shrunk drastically and the lower class expanded. With less wealth in reserve and active circulation, banks failed by the hundreds. More jobs were cut. Unemployment reached 25% in 1933. The worst year of the Great Depression. Those who were employed had to settle for much lower wages. Millions went cold and hungry. The recovery involved a massive infusion of new currency, a World War, and higher taxes on the rich. With so many men in the service, so many women on the production line, and those higher taxes to help pay for it, some US wealth was gradually transferred back down to the majority. This redistribution of wealth continued until the mid seventies. By 1976, the richest 1 percent held less than 20 percent. The lower majority held the rest. This was the recovery. A partial redistribution of wealth.
Then it began to concentrate all over again. Here we are 35 years later. The richest one percent now own over 40 percent of all US wealth. The upper, middle, and lower classes are sharing the rest. This is true even after taxes, welfare, financial aid, and charity. It is the underlying cause. No redistribution. No recovery.
The government won't step in and do what's necessary. Not this time. It's up to us. Support small business more and big business less. Support the little guy more and the big guy less. It's tricky but not impossible.
For the good of society, stop giving so much of your money to rich people. Stop concentrating the wealth. This may be our last chance to prevent the worst economic depression in world history. No redistribution. No recovery.
Those of you who agree on these major issues are welcome to summarize this post, copy it, link to it, save it, show a friend, or spread the word in any fashion. Most major cities have daily call-in talk radio shows. You can reach thousands of people at once. They should know the ugly truth. Be sure to quote the figures which prove that America's wealth is still being concentrated. I don't care who takes the credit. We are up against a tiny but very powerful minority who have more influence on the masses than any other group in history. They have the means to reach millions at once with outrageous political and commercial propaganda. Those of us who speak the ugly truth must work incredibly hard just to be heard.
Compare it with another situation. 1 of the student gets A grade, 9 get B grade and 30 get C, and 60 get F. The teacher needs to be kicked out. The society is now trying to kick out the system, which has created such disparity.
Read book A Brave New World. We're living in it